Sunday

I spent a couple of hours on Sunday walking around Seomun Market. The weather has been beautiful in Daegu and what could be better than taking the camera out on a sunny afternoon?

I read an interesting comment recently about South Korean society; if it weren't for all the cellphones and neon lights, you'd think it were the 1950s. Obviously that's a bit of stretch, but it's not as far from the truth as you might think. This is the largest market in Daegu and there are no signs of modern business.
This man worked on a mobile stand. I'm not exactly sure what he was selling - it looks like little minnows - but he never stopped filling those little wooden boxes and people never stopped buying them.
I didn't expect to see this. The puppies in the foreground are the lucky ones. There were several others jammed into cages, along with rabbits, ducks and hundreds of chickens - both dead and alive. The chickens I understand, the ducks - maybe, but puppies? I don't want to think about what they might be used for. Ben Harper's Paris Sunrise #7 was playing on my iPod as I walked past this mess. It was one of the more disturbing things I've experienced.


The area surrounding Seomun is packed with villas, which are connected by these dingy alleyways. They're clean for the most part, but haven't seen any development in at least a few decades. It's amazing how efficient people are with transporting their goods through all of these climbing streets, usually using bicycles like this:

We've been here for over eight months, but I never get used to seeing a lot of these things. As strange or old as it may seem, I'm going to miss it when we leave. The people who work in these markets look out for each other. There's no sense of competition and everyone works together. On top of all that, no one's getting ripped off. The produce and seafood are dirt cheap. So everyone wins. Seems simple, doesn't it?